Earlier this summer, Sightline Senior Research Associate Margaret Morales comprehensively broke down how Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) could help reduce the affordable housing gap, as well as how ADUs can reduce the carbon footprints produced by single-family neighborhoods.
KEXP’s Diane Horn had Margaret on as a guest on the sustainability segment of “Mind Over Matters” last month to talk about all of these aspects of ADUs. You can listen to the 27-minute segment in its entirety below.
Among Margaret’s observations: “One thing that was most exciting that I wrote about is that ADUs are relatively small. … And when you look at the energy savings or the environmental benefits of small buildings compared to almost any other green-building practice, small just blows it out of the water. So you can have as much high-tech insulation and Energy Star appliances, and that does not compare to the energy you save from just building small. So for one thing, they’re very green.”
Callie Jordan
I don’t think anything in the NW can work out to the 30% of income that I can manage on my social security. I’m in an apartment that’s less than 300 sq ft and still can’t afford it without continuing to work. I could maybe come back if the option of subsidized housing happened. Wow!